VIRUS

On Haken's previous effort, 2018's Vektor, the band embraced a heavier chock-full-of metal riffs approach. While I found the album enjoyable all around, I had hopes that the sound on that record was more of a detour and not a full-fledged pivot. You see, although perfectly competent as metal composers, Haken's 'comparative advantage' as an act was their quirkiness and eclecticism which happened to include metal. And as any economist will tell you, a producer will always generate more value by pursuing their comparative advantage no matter how competent they may be in another field.

But upon hearing Virus with its opening metal riff assault that is 'Prosthetic,' I was, temporarily, put at ease. Haken showed no interest in reverting back to their earlier sound and, after one track, that seemed perfectly alright. As the record wore on, however, my earlier concerns proved prescient. Heavy Haken simply cannot sustain the dynamism, intrigue, and diversity of sound that truly makes them so special. In fact, towards the record's end, the group begins to pull riffs from earlier works. I get that this is supposed to show some kind of compositional unity between their records. But to me, it only highlights the extent to which they were not up to the task of creating an entire 50 minutes album in this style.

I suspect this album will divide fans. Newer and younger fans are likely to embrace it while older and longer time ones will be disappointed. That's just my hunch.